Vance Center-Latin Lawyer Pro Bono Survey Analyzes Regional Progress, Celebrates Leading Law Firms in Latin America

Every year, the Vance Center partners with Latin Lawyer to conduct a survey measuring the progress of pro bono development across the region’s legal markets. The resulting articles and analysis offer a look at the state of pro bono practice across Latin America, and an opportunity to share best practices and celebrate the achievements of the practitioners leading the way.

The 2025 survey highlights effective approaches to institutionalizing and investing in pro bono practice within firms, and analyzes results from the six largest jurisdictions and Central America. It includes features on successful pro bono projects across the region, the creation of Guatemalan clearinghouse Asociación Pro Bono de Guatemala, and a celebration of the 10th anniversary of pro bono regulation in Brazil. It also includes the annual list of Leading Lights, the firms making noteworthy contributions to strengthening the culture of pro bono across the region.

Read on for more detailed survey results and see the full analysis on Latin Lawyer’s website.

Overview and Key Findings

Our joint pro bono survey provides a comprehensive comparison of the results from Latin America’s six largest jurisdictions and Central America. The analysis examines progress across five main pro bono categories. These include the presence of pro bono coordinators and committees and whether firms factor pro bono into associate compensation and advancement.

Key findings include:

Two-thirds (65%) of firms across Latin America are signatories of the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas, down just slightly from 67% last year and up from 61% in 2023’s survey. Central America saw a notable increase in signatory firms, from 67% to 73% this year, while Peru continued to lead the countries surveyed in participation, with 81% of responding law firms reporting that they have already signed the PBDA.

Firms pointed to the Pro Bono Declaration of the Americas as one of the best mechanisms to ensure they continue actively contributing to the development and evolution of pro bono in the region. Established by the Vance Center in 2008, the PBDA commits signatories to an average of at least 20 hours of pro bono work per lawyer every year.

Nine out of ten firms have a designated pro bono coordinator. The 88% of firms with a pro bono coordinator offer a positive sign of continued institutionalization pro bono in the region, as designated pro bono coordinators are critically important to an effective pro bono practice.

For the second year running, all Chilean and Peruvian firms surveyed had at least one individual assigned to this role. Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina were all over 90%, with Central America reaching 90% as well.

Across the region, pro bono committees remain a strong foundation of institutional pro bono culture within firms. Just over three-quarters (76%) of firms reported they have a pro bono committee, holding steady from 75% last year.

Across Latin America, 72% of firms are members of a pro bono foundation, institute or clearinghouse. Mexico leads the largest jurisdictions, with 93% of responding law firms reporting membership in at least one of these institutions, followed by Colombia, Chile, and Peru, all at 88%. Central America had the lowest rate of membership, with just 53% of firms reporting they are members of a pro bono clearinghouse or other entity.

Leading Lights 2025

Participation in the survey remained strong, with 185 firms from 18 countries submitting responses this year. The Vance Center and Latin Lawyer recognized 75 of the respondents as “Leading Lights,” firms making a noteworthy contribution to strengthening a culture of pro bono in Latin America.

This year’s group of Leading Lights includes firms from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and three regional firms working in Central America.

A Collective Commitment to Justice: Asociación Pro Bono de Guatemala

In a region where justice remains out of reach for many, Guatemalan law firms have worked for years to institutionalize their pro bono commitment, first on their own and then collectively. The result of those efforts became clear in 2024 with the recognition of the Asociación Pro Bono de Guatemala. This local clearinghouse helps provide legal assistance to underserved Central American communities while redefining pro bono work in a legal culture where the concept is still widely misunderstood.

Latin Lawyer spoke with Asociación executive director Claudia Murga and members of the executive board about the long road to recognition, working on essential cases while navigating the limbo of the approval process, and the essential role of collaboration.

Read the article here.

Celebrating a Milestone: 10 years of Pro Bono in Brazil

This year marked the 10th anniversary of Brazil’s pro bono regulation, the framework that enabled lawyers to provide pro bono legal advice to low-income and vulnerable groups and individuals. To commemorate this milestone, Latin Lawyer spoke to Marcos Fuchs, director of Brazilian clearinghouse Instituto Pro Bono, along with other pro bono professionals, about the growth of pro bono in Brazil’s legal industry and what comes next.

See what they had to say, and where Brazil’s pro bono community goes from here.

The 2025 survey results, all analysis and features, and Leading Lights are available here.